After Manchester United and its manager, it was the club’s young players who were blasted by Cristiano Ronaldo in his recent interview with Piers Morgan. The Ronaldo interview has wrecked a havoc at Old Trafford as well as among the club’s fans who are divided into two. United are reportedly fuming with rage as they are seeking steps to act quickly in response to their n0.7’s explosive interview, wherein he accused them of “betraying” him.
Cristiano Ronaldo also had a go at his club manager Erik ten Hag, whom he admit he doesn’t respect and the sentiment is same from the other side, according to him. Nobody was spared by the superstar forward in his interview, as not only the club and its current manager were under fire, former coach Ralf Rangnick too received some heat. And the latest added to Ronaldo’s tirade are the club’s young players, who he feels don’t care enough about the sport.
They’re not going to have longevity – Cristiano Ronaldo on United youngsters
Manchester United have known to produce some of the best youngsters through their academy, who went on to make it bigger in their careers. David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and the Neville brothers are some of earlier names who won it all with the Red Devils coming through their Carrington academy, whereas Marcus Rashford, Anthony Elanga, Alejandro Garnacho are the ones looking to follow in the footsteps of the aforementioned greats.
However, Cristiano Ronaldo, who isn’t a United academy player, but joined the club at a raw age of 19 feels today’s youngsters are not going to make it like himself, or Giggs or Roy Keane. He lashed out the club’s young players, apparently the likes of Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and the lot who according to him get everything easily and are not ready to work harder and value the fact of playing alongside him. He told Morgan about the youth system at United:
“It’s a little bit shame [young players don’t follow] because if they have the best examples in front of their eyes, and if they don’t at least copy what you did, for me, it’s kind of weird, because I remember when I was 18, 19, 20, I always looked to see the best players when Van Nistelrooy, Ferdinand, Roy Keane, and Giggs – this is why I have the success that I have and longevity.
“They don’t care [about playing with me], some yes but most of them no. But for me it’s not surprising because they’re not going to have longevity [in their] careers. It’s impossible. In my generation you see many players reach 36, 37, 38 in high level. I think this generation you’re going to count by your hands how many are going to reach that level.”
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has credited a part of his successful career to playing alongside greats such as Giggs, Keane, Ferdinand and Van Nistelrooy. However, as evident, he feels today’s generation of young players are the club are not interested in sharing the pitch with him. But one guy who should be excused from the tirade is Alejandro Garnacho, who visibly is enjoying every minute alongside the former Real Madrid forward.
The United academy graduate has burst on to the scene this season after Ten Hag handed him ample opportunities to prove his worth. A lightening player on the wings, Garnacho has displayed a fearless personality on the pitch why constantly trying to take on the opponents. In his 8 games so far in all competitions for the Red Devils, the 18-year-old has scored an impressive 2 goals and provided as many assists. His exploits also earned him a place on his nation, Argentina’s preliminary World Cup squad, but not the final 26-player list.
Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo has joined Portugal’s camp in Qatar for the World Cup, as it is highly likely that he never plays for Man United ever again as a result of the interview. The Red Devils are reportedly exploring the options of terminating his contract, as ESPN reports Ten Hag too wants him gone. The reports also adds that other senior players of the club are unhappy with the 37-year-old and are ‘furious’ at the timing of his bombshell interview.